Global Arts Studies

Film Documents the Struggle of Growing Old Behind Bars

April 14, 2025

A UC Merced professor entered the bleak world of a fading, 64-year-old man in a Virginia state prison to illustrate the challenges of being elderly and incarcerated. “Where’s My Coffee Cup?” is a half-hour documentary by media and performance studies Professor Yehuda Sharim....

Global arts Professor Yehuda Sharim’s 2019 documentary “Songs That Never End” examines the feelings of displacement refugees grapple with upon relocating somewhere new.

Documentary on Refugee Experience to Premiere at UC Merced and Abroad

Global arts Professor Yehuda Sharim’s 2019 documentary “Songs That Never End” will continue to be screened at several international venues over the course of the coming weeks....

Founding UC Merced Faculty Member Appointed to the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery

The Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery has announced that UC Merced Art History Professor ShiPu Wang has joined the museum’s Board of Commissioners for a four-year term. His appointment...

UC Merced is commemorating the tremendous accomplishments of its graduates with a virtual ceremony streamed at 10 a.m. May 16.

Virtual Commencement Promises Surprises for Grads, Families

While the COVID-19 pandemic has altered many things this spring on the UC Merced campus — from classes and research to events — UC Merced is making sure the Class of 2020 has a forum to...

Professor’s Documentary Film about Refugee Family Honored at Vienna International Festival

“Songs that Never End,” Professor Yehuda Sharim’s intimate film about a family transitioning from Iran to life in Texas, is a finalist contender in the International Documentary...

Grammy-Winning Drummer Antonio Sanchez to Perform Free Concert in Merced

Antonio Sanchez broke new ground for musical storytelling with his award-winning soundtrack for “Birdman.” He’s earned multiple Grammys for his work with guitar master Pat Metheny....

Skulls, or calaveras in Spanish, are a traditional symbol of Dia de los Muertos.

Students Bring Death to Life in Annual Downtown Dia de los Muertos Celebration

Death is a part of life, a loss surrounded typically by mourning and grief. But what if the passing of a loved one were also a transition to be celebrated? That is the sentiment behind Dia de los...

Students collaborate together to identify pieces of trash they can utilize for their structure.

Students Engineer Art from Trash for Annual Yosemite Facelift Event

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, or in this case art. Each year Global Arts Studies Program Lecturer Richard Gomez brings students to Yosemite to create an art installation...

ShiPu Wang's curated exhibition titled “Chiura Obata: An American Modern” on display at the Crocker Museum in Sacramento.

First Sacramento, then the Smithsonian for Arts Faculty Member’s Curation

What is art’s place in turbulent times? How does an immigrant live and thrive in a host country with laws that render one’s existence alien? And how does one continue to see beauty even...

The Children’s Opera is geared toward children ages 3 and older and is just 45 minutes in length.

Annual UC Merced Children’s Opera Showcases the Arts to Local Little Ones

Parents don’t have to venture to San Francisco to give their children a taste of opera. With UC Merced’s Children’s Opera, little ones can have a unique cultural experience without...